Bones Star Urges Waxman to Help Chimps

Does Rep. Henry Waxman have a soft spot for apes? That's what actress Emily Deschanel, the star of Fox's Bones, is trying to find out. She penned a letter to the California congressman this week that urges Waxman to cosponsor the Town-Reichart Great Ape Protection Act. The legislation was recently introduced in a House health subcommittee that is part of the Waxman-chaired Committee on Energy and Commerce. The bill would phase out invasive scientific research on chimpanzees and release federally owned apes to sanctuaries. "This legislation would allow about 500 chimpanzees to live their remaining years in sanctuaries," writes Deschanel. "They could form bonds with other chimpanzees, bask in the sunlight, and feel the grass and the earth. That's the least we can do for chimpanzees, our species' closest living relatives."

Read her full letter here.